Birria de Res

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Total time: 4 hours

Servings: 6–8 servings

Country of Origin

Mexico (Jalisco)

Description

Birria is a deeply flavorful, slow-cooked meat stew originally made with goat, but popular globally in its beef variation (Birria de Res). Beef chuck or short ribs are braised until fall-apart tender in a rich consommé of roasted chilies, tomatoes, aromatics, and warm spices like cloves, cinnamon, and cumin.

Presentation & How It's Eaten

Served either as a warm stew in deep bowls topped with chopped white onion, cilantro, and lime juice, or shredded and folded into corn tortillas dipped in the fat of the broth and seared crispy to make Quesabirrias (served with a side bowl of rich warm consommé for dipping).

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) beef chuck roast and beef short ribs

• 4 dried guajillo chilies, deseeded

• 2 dried ancho chilies, deseeded

• 2 dried pasilla chilies, deseeded

• 3 ripe tomatoes, halved

• 1 medium yellow onion, halved

• 6 cloves garlic

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 stick Mexican cinnamon (or 1/2 tsp ground)

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 4 whole cloves

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• 4 cups beef broth

• Salt to taste

• For Serving: Warm corn tortillas, melted Oaxaca/Monterey Jack cheese, lime wedges, diced raw onion, chopped cilantro

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Prepare Chilies & Aromatics: Toast dried chilies in a dry skillet for 1 minute, then steep in boiling water for 15 minutes. In the same skillet, char tomatoes, onion halves, and garlic cloves until blackened in spots.

2. Blend Chili Adobo: In a blender, combine steeped chilies, charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, and 1 cup chili soaking water. Process until completely smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve.

3. Braise Meat: Season beef generously with salt. Place in a heavy Dutch oven, pour chili adobo and beef broth over top. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat (or bake at 160°C / 325°F) for 3 to 3.5 hours until meat easily shreds with a fork.

4. Shred Meat & Strain Consommé: Transfer meat to a board and shred with two forks. Skim red fat from top of cooking liquid and reserve for crisping tortillas. Season consommé with salt.

5. Assemble Tacos/Quesabirrias: Dip corn tortillas into reserved red broth fat. Place on a hot skillet, add cheese and shredded meat, fold over, and cook until crispy.

6. Serve: Serve crispy tacos warm alongside bowls of hot consommé topped with cilantro and onion for dipping.

Optional

• Traditional Goat: Swap beef chuck roast with goat shoulder or leg for classic Jalisco-style Birria de Chivo.

Cooking Tips

• Save the Red Fat: The layer of chili-infused oil floating on top of the cooked stew is essential for getting deep reddish color and crispiness on your tortillas when making tacos.

Nutrition Facts

(Estimated per serving, based on an 8-serving breakdown with consommé)

Calories: ~580 kcal

Total Fat: 38g

Saturated Fat: 15g

Cholesterol: 115mg

Sodium: 780mg

Total Carbohydrates: 14g

Dietary Fiber: 3.5g

Sugars: 4g

Protein: 44g